“There are financial constraints, I don’t see any Portuguese club making him a better offer.

“I think Sporting Lisbon would be a great club for Alves, they are on the level of Porto and Benfica.

“They have great players and are a terrific team.”

Fenerbahçe however, released a statement yesterday ruling out rumours that Alves would be sold in January.

The statement read: “The rumours linking Bruno Alves with a transfer abroad are false. Hürriyet newspaper published a report today claiming that Bruno had agreed with another club. These rumours are all false, Bruno has a contract with Fenerbahçe football club and wants to remain at the club.”

The 32-year-old defender currently earns €2.3 million per season and has two-years left on his contract.